Proven Wrong
by ignis-avis
Summary: "My mother's lying in a pool of her own blood after an attack by the Triple Threats. I've woken up to the sound of people screaming and you've got the nerve to ask me how I'm doing?" - Oneshot. An insight into the life of young Lin Beifong.


**A/N: **

**So, I know this doesn't include Su Yin Beifong; instead it only focuses on Lin and Toph. I wrote this before Season 3 came out, so it might seem a little "outdated". Anyway, I hope you like it! It does bear similarities to Satomobile's "_The Push and Pull"_ because I took inspiration from the scene where Toph is in hospital after the blood-bending incident. **

**That's enough of my blabbering for now. Enjoy!**

When Lin was twelve, she thought her mother was invincible. Like no one could even touch her.

When Lin was thirteen, she was proven very, very wrong indeed.

Friday evenings in Republic City. People loitered in the streets, stall-vendors called out to passing tourists. The city, a symphony of urban hubbub during the day, was a tsunami. Roads were filled with Satomobiles; the roar of motorbikes speeding and weaving through traffic; the echoing blare of car horns and the equally incessant chatter of people. Add in the fact that it was summer, the sun at its zenith – sweltering heat settling on sweaty skin. People ducked into shade, into cool shadows. Pickpockets skimmed through crowds, nimble fingers snatching away. Hands mopped at brows, water glugged generously into parched, thirsting throats. As the afternoon stretched on, the city quietened. As if all the sound had become muffled simultaneously, as if the tsunami had passed and in its wake were gentle, throbbing waves.

At this point in time, the whole city would slow down. All the exuberance would suddenly vanish, settling into a gentle ebb and flow, like the shallow tide upon a beach. The blaring concerto would fade to a soft mother's lullaby, carried on the lazy breeze that wrapped around torsos like a blanket. Now the summer sunset illuminated the sky, a palette of orange and red and vivid pink swirling together. People crawled back into the cool shelter of their homes, slapping away mosquitoes with languid, clumsy hands. Only a murmur could be heard now, the roads stripped of the traffic that once swarmed through the city like bees in a hive.

A couple of men huddled around a rickety wooden table, cards clutched in their palms, swigging every so often from a pack of beer bottles. Dressed in cheap sandals and loose shorts, they perched cigarettes between their lips, grey smoke spiralling from their slack mouths. Their faded beige shirts were sleeveless and darkened by sweat. They were unshaven; the heat had rendered speech close to impossible, only faint grunts rolling off thick, languid tongues.

It was in this block of flats that the Chief of Police's teenage daughter was scribbling on a piece of paper, her calligraphy as unkempt as her dark, knotted hair. Her eyes, a startlingly vivid shade of green, darted to and fro.

She was Lin Beifong. Stubborn, wild and sarcastic. One of only two people in the entire world who had the ability to bend metal by the tender age of thirteen.

The other, of course, was her mother.

**_10 pm. _**

Toph was sprawled upon the shabby sofa in their dimly-lit living room, propping herself up with one elbow and greedily shoving stir-fry noodles into her mouth. Lin lounged on the armrest, rolling her eyes as her mother listened in rapture to the tinny voice blaring from the TV screen.

"That's not fair! A head shot from the earthbender – that's an illegal move!" Toph waved her chopsticks in the air frantically. She glanced back at her daughter, who was slouched against the corduroy cushions, an amused smile curling her lips.

This had become a routine to them now. Lin would finish her homework, her mother would come home exhausted from work, a greasy paper bag clutched in one hand. They would watch the latest pro-bending match together over a dinner of takeaway dumplings, yelling and shouting raucously at the contestants, groaning at each failure and cheering at each success.

The telephone trilled from the hallway. Toph, of course, was too distracted to notice, so Lin nudged her gently with a calloused bare foot.

"Phone, Mum."

Toph huffed, annoyed. "But it's the tiebreaker!"

"I'll tell you who wins."

Another sigh. "Fine." Grumbling under her breath, Toph heaved herself to her feet and padded down the hallway, snatching the phone up roughly and answering the call with all her customary grace.

"What the hell do you want?"

The panicked words came in a rush of static, spewing into her ears as the annoyance slipped from her face and a sickening dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

Chong. Triple Threats. Avatar. City Hall.

_Aang's in trouble. _

She slammed the phone down.

Lin's voice drifted from the living room. "Mum? What's going on?"

"Lin. Come here." The teenager sauntered into the hallway, raising a sceptical eyebrow at the sight of Toph pulling on her uniform hurriedly, strapping her belt into place and flexing her toes in anticipation. "I'm taking you to Air Temple Island. It's nothing to worry about, I just can't leave you on your own here."

"Why can't I come with you?"

"Because." Toph waved her hands distractedly as she twisted her tousled hair into a neat bun.

Lin clucked her tongue. "That's such a great excuse, Mum." She retorted sardonically.

"Lin Beifong, you are going to Air Temple Island right now and you will not ask any more questions. Understood?"

The thirteen-year-old flinched slightly in surprise. Gone was the slouching, lazy, noodle-slurping woman and in her place was the Chief of Police, metal armour gleaming, sightless eyes narrowed and searing. This was the person who had made grown men cry, who had ran through fire and came out unmarred, who made Lin's little heart swell with pride.

"Yes, Chief." She whispered, arms flat at her sides, head bowed.

Her mother's smile was grim, humourless and not in the slightest reassuring.

"Then let's go."

They took a ferry down to Air Temple Island; the guards, clad in white uniform, greeted them stoically as usual. Katara was also standing on the shores, spine straight, shoulders back. She carried herself with a lithe grace that Lin both awed and envied.

But tonight there was something _odd_ about her. Something _strange _in the spidery lines scoring her forehead, in the way her hands trembled ever so slightly as her eyes, wide and cerulean blue, glanced around listlessly.

"Hey there, Sugar Queen." Toph's voice reverberated in the dark and Katara relaxed slowly, soothed by the familiar nickname.

"Hello, Toph." The waterbender replied softly, barely audible over the whisper of gentle waves lapping at the shore. She smiled faintly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. There was a moment of silence as Toph strode over to the other woman, hands on hips.

"Aang's going to be all right, Sweetness."

More silence.

"Trust me?"

Katara finally grinned, her lips dry as a weak laugh pushed past her teeth.

"Not at all."

"Of course not." Toph _tsked_ jokingly, then turned back to Lin. "Stay here with Aunt Katara, will you? And for Spirit's sake, try not to destroy half the Temple _again_."

Lin stared blankly at her mother. "I make no such promises." She stated seriously.

Toph barked a laugh. "That's my girl."

And then she was climbing back into the ferry, shouting orders to the men on board, and the words rose in Lin's throat before she could help it.

"Mum?" She blurted.

Toph turned around.

"It's the Triple Threats, isn't it?"

Her mother sighed tiredly. "Like I said, it's nothing to worry about."

"But-"

Toph pressed a gentle hand onto her daughter's shoulder. "Tell me who wins the next round of the tournament, will you? Darn, I'll miss it again."

Lin could only nod as she watched her mother fade away, across the obsidian lake and into the fog. Uncertainty writhed in her stomach, but she shrugged it away. No one could beat Toph.

_Could they?_

**_12 am_**

The night sky was starless, bottomless, endless. It was like an infinite sheet of black silk rippling in the breeze, a void where light was swallowed into its unreachable depths. Sluggishly, Lin gazed down at the shore, at the guards patrolling along the island. Silence permeated through the summer air, and she shivered. Everything was so quiet, too quiet. The sound of her breathing roared, deafening in the shadow-shrouded room.

"Can't sleep?"

Lin yelped, whirling around, instinctively raising a boulder between herself and the unknown intruder. Light spilled in from the now open door of her bedroom; the figure standing in the doorway was cast into shadow.

"Lin, it's me!"

The teenage earthbender let out a breath of relief. Recognising the voice, she threw her makeshift barricade down into the earth once more and her fierce, defensive expression melted into one of grating irritation.

"Tenzin!" she hissed, careful not to wake the other occupants of the building. "What are you doing here?"

The young boy of fourteen tilted his head to the side, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I thought you'd be worried about your mum," he explained. "I'm worried about Dad."

Lin huffed haughtily, avoiding eye contact. She blew a lock of inky hair away from her face and slumped down onto her bed. "I'm not worried about Mum. Why would I? She's the greatest earthbender in the world."

"I know. I mean, my dad's the Avatar. Master of all four elements, most powerful person in the Universe? But I still worry."

Lin smirked at the young airbender mockingly as he ambled over to sit next to her on the bed. "That's because you're an emotional sap, you dolt." she sneered.

Had she said this to anyone else, they would've immediately taken offence. But Tenzin was different; he shrugged the insult off with a non-committal _hmph_. After a decade of friendship, the two had grown quite close – not that Lin would ever admit to that – and Tenzin knew the earthbender well enough to sense when she needed comforting.

"I know you're lying." He stated, grey irises boring into her green ones.

Lin raised an eyebrow, folding her arms defiantly. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. Your left eye twitches when you're worried."

The green-eyed earthbender gawked at him. "I don't know whether to be flattered or unsettled by the fact that you've obviously stared at my face long enough to notice this."

Her words sent the airbender into a fluster, a scarlet blush creeping up the side of his neck as he stumbled away from her, stammering profusely.

Lin laughed at the sight of him refusing to look her in the eye. "I'm just kidding, Airhead. I know you don't like me like_ that._"

She missed the way his face fell suddenly, the way disappointment crept into his gaze.

**_ 12:30 am_**

Tenzin had left mere moments ago, having spent an entire half-hour talking to Lin. She was truly spent, fatigue weighing her eyelids down and making her arms numb as she yawned long enough to feel her jaw crack. _Spirits, it's late. Mum would be yelling her head off if she knew I was still awake. _

Her insides wrenched abruptly at the thought of her mother. _There it is again, _she mused. _That feeling. _

_Am I worried? _Lin shook her head, a breathy, frantic laugh ripping through her cracked lips. _Nah. _

_I really shouldn't have eaten those greasy spring rolls. _

The gnawing, unnerving sensation was gone, and Lin shifted onto her side, her eyes falling shut.

_Think about it, _she reasoned. _Mum's the bravest, most kick-ass person I've ever known. Of course she's not going to be taken down by some Triple Threat moron. Have you ever seen anyone beat Toph Beifong before? _Grinning involuntarily, the teenager entertained the notion of her mother throwing rocks in all directions, lips pulled back in a snarling battle cry.

An image rose in her subconscious, and her throat seized in sudden, unmistakeable fear.

_Toph threw rocks out haphazardly. Four against one; she was desperately outnumbered. _

_A blow knocked her to the ground like a rag doll, the impact square on her chest._

_Blood poured from her mouth, her raw wounds, dirt and sweat smeared across her face as she contorted in pain, as the flames pulsated and raked their scarlet fingers mercilessly across her charring skin._

_Her breaths were shallow and quickening, her limbs were weakening. Blind eyes fluttered shut as hot, adrenaline-saturated blood pumped swiftly through open veins._

_With each waning heartbeat, Toph felt her strength drain gradually and she crumpled, like dried leaves in the wind, like scintillating glass shards shattering upon the floor. _

_The vibrations of the earth were fading now; her seismic sense was slipping away like sand grains through her fingers. Faintly, she felt the breath of a Triple Threat thug rasping against her neck, rearing back to deliver the final blow, to catapult her body into inescapable oblivion..._

"No!"

The hoarse word erupted from Lin's gasping mouth and she lurched forward. She shuddered, curling into herself, burrowing her toes into the softness of the mattress. Her forehead was slick with cold sweat.

_It's not real, _she muttered, her mouth moving in a breathless mantra. Fiercely she squeezed her eyes shut and rocked back and forth. _It's not real. Mum's not dead._

The feeling twisted in her gut, wrapping around her torso like an icy tentacle, sucking the warmth from her heart and snatching the frantic breath from her lungs as irrefutable horror clamped an iron fist around her throat.

_Go away. _She whispered, her voice breaking into a sob. _Go away go away go away. _

_Stop, Lin. Control yourself! _

The trembling teenager inhaled sharply through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth, digging her nails into her palms and gritting her teeth fiercely as her panic faded. It was a calming method she had been taught long ago.

_Taught by your mother, _a treacherous voice reminded her.

Her left eye twitched.

Rolling to the side once again with a groan, she wrapped the duvet around her slim form and succumbed to the siren call of utter lethargy.

The fitful hours of her sleep were scant but dreamless.

**_3:30 am. _**

_Thump. Thump. Thump. _

_"Spirits! Is that...?"_

_"I need hot water and bandages, now!"_

_"She's losing too much blood -"_

_"Oh, dear Agni..."_

Lin woke to the sound of muffled voices calling outside. Grumbling and disorientated, she stepped out of her room and across the hallway, pushing a door open without thinking.

"What's going on...?" She murmured, eyes squinted in an attempt to adjust to the harsh, fluorescent light.

That was all she had time to say.

The room was filled with people, some clad in metal uniform, others simply in their pyjamas. They were all frozen, steeling themselves for her reaction.

Lin's eyes flitted from face to face. _Why do they all look so... concerned?_

Then she saw Aunt Katara hunched over by a bed, healing water glowing at her fingertips.

The teenage earthbender opened her mouth and screamed.

**_3:31 am. _**

The next few moments were a bit hazy in Lin's mind. Coherent thought had evaded her long ago.

Roughly she shoved a few people aside, not even registering their yelps of surprise. Her knuckles tightened, her fingers twisted into claws that ripped and gouged and wrenched away until all of a sudden she was at the foot of the bed, eyes wild and staring.

Toph Beifong, master of metalbending and Earthbender Extraordinaire, lay unconscious before her disbelieving daughter.

The pristine white sheets were stained with her crimson blood.

A second of silence passed, and then another, and then –

Lin flung herself forward, arms outstretched towards her mother's bruised face. She felt strong hands curl around her torso, pulling her backwards, and all civil notions dissipated in her mind as she kicked and fought and struggled, snarling like a wild animal in her panicked anguish.

That stupid voice chanted in her head, mocking her contemptuously. _She's dead, isn't she? She's dead. Gone. She's left you. _

_No. She wouldn't. She can't have..._

Lin's mouth hung open as she gulped air through her constricted throat. Salty tears slithered down her cheeks, dripping onto her tongue. Sweat beaded in her forehead and blood roared in her veins, making her lightheaded.

But she was weakening, she knew, and as her movements grew sluggish, the whirlwind of her thoughts grew frantic.

_No. I can't leave her. I won't. She's still alive. _

For a millisecond, her tear-glazed eyes snapped to Aunt Katara. _Please, say she's still alive. Please. _

The waterbender nodded almost imperceptibly, and Lin's wavering resolve finally collapsed.

She heard voices around her, mingling together. Worried, frightened eyes in pale faces. And she didn't care in the slightest.

With one foot planted on the ground she reached out with her seismic sense, searching through the frenzied vibrations for – something. Anything.

Then, she felt it; tiny, faint, like the soft flapping of bird's wings.

There, weak and fading through the earth, was Toph's heartbeat. Barely but undeniably _there._

Lin's heart soared with relief and she doubled over, the bracing adrenaline draining from her fogged mind.

She felt herself being lifted and taken away, the voices drifting into blissful silence.

**_3:55 am. _**

The hollow husk of a teenage girl sat crouched on the floor, back leaning against the moonlight-daubed wall. Her green irises were vacant, her head lolling on her shoulder as a night breeze prowled through the silver-streaked window, tousling her sweat-matted hair and licking at her bare ankles. Insomnia sucked at her mind, painting shadows under her eyes.

"Lin?" The earthbender sighed, jolting out of her reverie. Tenzin, once again.

"What do you want?" She snapped, and immediately Tenzin back-pedalled, holding up both hands in surrender.

"Sorry, I... I just wanted to know how you were doing."

"My mother's lying in a pool of her own blood after an attack by the Triple Threats. I've woken up to the sound of people screaming and you've got the nerve to ask me _how I'm doing?_"

The airbender bristled at her insolent tone. "At least I asked. Those people just threw you out of a room!"

"Why can't you get the hint that I just want to be alone?" Lin shrieked, tugging at her hair in exasperation, blood rushing to her face.

Tenzin's eyes softened, and he sighed. "Because I know you too well." He murmured softly, mouth quirking into a listless smile.

That, there and then, was Lin's undoing.

She didn't know how she got up from the floor but all of a sudden she was burying her face into his nightshirt, his lanky arms wrapped awkwardly around her. Violent sobs wracked her shoulders and her knees trembled as tears spilled from her closed eyes. Her lips were parted in desperate gasps, teeth clenched, whimpering pitifully into his chest.

If it were any other person, Lin would've died of embarrassment.

But it was Tenzin, and he was different.

She sobbed her mangled heart out to him because she knew he cared, unlike many of the other people her age. It reflected in the way he stroked her hair gently, how he whispered words of comfort as her body shuddered with vicious hiccoughs. How he didn't even care that she had ruined his nightshirt with her tears.

Lin turned away from him to glance at herself in the mirror. "I look awful." She said bluntly.

Her watery eyes were swollen and rimmed with scarlet; an intricate spider-web of garish crimson veins. Tears had dried on her face; only a glazed trail remained, streaking down her cheeks as shadows licked at her temples and eyelids. Her skin was sallow in the dark, wide green eyes glowing ethereal, like emeralds. Tenzin only shook his head and left the room, stealing the last remnants of warmth with each soft echo of his gentle footsteps.

There was silence.

_I always thought Mum was invincible. Like no one could ever touch her. _

The young earthbender let out a harsh bark of bitter laughter.

_I was proven wrong, I guess. _

Grief welled up again, choking words in her throat, blurring her vision. But no tears came. She didn't cry.

_"Tell me who wins the next round of the tournament, will you? Darn, I'll miss it again." _

Lin spoke to the empty room. "The Platypus Bears won the final round. They're moving on to the finals." A dry, humourless smile curved her lips.

_Have you ever seen anyone beat Toph Beifong before?_

_No. _Lin thought.

_But I've seen the aftermath, and it isn't pretty._

_**Fin.**_

**A/N: ****How was it? Please review with any comments; it's my first story! **

**Thanks for reading, guys. ^_^**


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